Means for cleaning cotton lint



M r h 1969 J. H. CASE 3,432,892

MEANS FOR CLEANING COTTON LINT Filed Oct. 7, 1964 Sheet of 2 FIG. I

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gwumfm TO/l/V H. CASE March 18, 1969 J. H. CASE 3,432,892

MEANS FOR CLEANING COTTON LINT Filed Oct. 7. 1964 Sheet 2 of 2 FIG. 3

INVENTOR. JOHN H. 6455 BY filA/ WWZZ.

United States Patent 3,432,892 MEANS FOR CLEANING COTTON LINT John H. Case, 25 Oakwood Drive, Oklahoma City, Okla. 73121 Continuation-impart of application Ser. No. 387,665, Aug. 5, 1964. This application Oct. 7, 1964, Ser. No. 402,267 US. Cl. 19-203 16 Claims Int. Cl. D01b 3/00; D02g 7/00 This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in the means and methods of cleaning cotton lint after it has left the ginning and before it arrives at baling in order to maintain the proper grade of such cotton lint and prevent its deterioration or lessening from the occurrence of trash therein prior to and during the time of such baling. This is a continuation-in-part of my copending application, Ser. No. 387,665, filed Aug. 5, 1964, now abandoned, for Means for Cleaning Cotton Lint.

There have been many attempts heretofore and much work done in connection with the cleaning of lint cotton after it has left the gin stand and before it is delivered to the baling process. While these efforts have been successful in removing a substantial quantity, particularly of large trash and items such as sticks, leaves and the like which may pass through the gin stand, as well as many smaller particles of trash intermingled with the lint, the complete effectiveness of such cleaning has not hereto fore been achieved, with the result that in prior practices the cotton lint, leaving the lint cleaning means as heretofore utilized for delivery to the baling process, has continued to have entrained with it quantities of undesirable trash, discoloring materials, and other items which lower the grade of the cotton resulting in the bale on account of these factors.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a new and novel means and combination for cleaning lint cotton, which effectively will eliminate substantially all of any residual trash and other foreign material from the cotton lint in order to deliver the cotton lint to the baling process at the best possible grade and condition.

A further object is to provide cotton lint cleaning means which includes means adapted for the elimination of fine particles of trash and foreign material which are not normally eliminated by heretofore conventional lint cleaner devices.

A further object is to provide electronic means in combination with substantially conventional lint cleaner devices in order to impart a trash separating effect upon the cotton lint between the conventional lint cleaner and the delivery point to the baling process.

A further object is to provide means for inducing and imparting to the flow of cotton lint vibrations of sonic and/or super-sonic frequency effecting separation of particles of trash from the lint for discharge away from the lint flow.

A further object is to provide such means in which the electronic device comprises a bank of transducers being disposed closely adjacent the exit point from the conventional lint cleaner device and prior to the delivery point to the baling process.

A further object is to impart ultrasonic or supersonic energy to impurity-carrying lint cotton during the process of cleaning, that is, after ginning and before baling, so that a highly eificient and effective cleaning of the lint is provided.

A further object is to provide means for increasing the efficiency of the removal of trash, impurities, etc. from the lint cotton and which means includes the imparting of ultrasonic or supersonic energy to the grid 3,432,892 Patented Mar. 18, 1969 ice bars of the lint cleaner, the saw cylinders of the lint cleaner, and/or to the cotton bat as it travels along the surface of the saw cylinders, with this imparting of the energy being made to the grid bars, saw cylinders or cotton bat either alone or in any combination.

A further object is generally to improve the design and construction and efficiency of means for cleaning lint cotton.

The means by which the foregoing and other objects of the present invention are accomplished and the manner of their accomplishment will be readily understood from the following specification upon reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view with parts broken away for purposes of illustration, and also partly schematic for purposes of illustration.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view, also partly schematic, taken as on the line II-II of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a partially sectionalized view of a lint cleaner showing a modified arrangement of the present invention in combination therewith, and with the components of the present invention being shown somewhat diagrammatically.

Referring now to the drawings in which the various parts are indicated by numerals, the present invention is illustrated in combination with substantially conventional prior lint cleaner means, and adds to, supplements and improves the prior type of device. It will be understood that a typical arrangement only is shown in the attached drawings and is not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure inasmuch as there are other types of conventional lint cleaners with which the present device and combination are adaptable and highly useful.

In the arrangements as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the lint cleaner of substantially conventional arrangement is indicated at 11. Lint cleaner means 11 include an intake flue 13 leading away from the gin and carrying therealong the lint cotton discharged from the gin after the normal ginning operation. In the particular type of lint cleaner 11, as is shown herein, flue 13 delivers the lint cotton to the lint cleaner condenser means within the housing shown, which have the effect of acting upon the lint cotton delivered through flue 13 so as to condense the same by operation of a rotary drum-type element delivering the cotton lint between a pair of compressive rollers by which the cotton lint is compressed into a substantially elongated bat-like structure, and is thence delivered to a feed roller having a closely adjacent feed plate (none of these elements being shown herein as they are conventional) so that a very thin uniform bat of cotton lint is delivered to the cleaning arrangement of the lint cleaner. As is usual in a device of the type shown here, the cleaning arrangement includes a bank of saws 15 which are disposed in closely arranged relationship in a bank substantially transverse of the device and adapted to receive the fiow of lint from the condenser in the substantial bat formation for further action thereon to comb and divide the same in order to eliminate a substantial amount of trash therefrom.

It will, of course, be understood that in the prior types of iint cleaners, such as the conventional lint cleaner 11 here involved, much of the larger trash and undesired material is eliminated by the action of the lint cleaner condenser in the condensing of the cotton lint into the bat for delivery to the cleaning saw. The cleaning saws 15 act in conjunction with a series of grid bars 17 so as to comb and separate the lint of the bat delivered through the condenser and to thereby cause the discharge of a further substantial amount of trash from the cotton lint, the same dropping down through a discharge 19 away from the movement of the lint itself.

As the lint is moved about the periphery of saws 15, it is combed and carried forward thereby and thence moves into the area of action by an enlarged doffer means 21 which is rotatably supported and driven in close adjacency to the teeth of saws in order to remove from the teeth the preliminary cleaned cotton lint. It will be observed that, in the arrangement as shown here, the saws 15 are indicated as being driven and rotated in a substantially clockwise direction, and the doifer means are indicated as being driven and rotated in a substantially counterclockwise direction in order to effectively eliminate from the saw the lint which has been preliminarily cleaned thereby.

The preliminarily cleaned lint actually receives a some what beating action by the doifer so that, in addition to removing the lint from the saws, a beating effect is imparted to the lint, further separating additional trash and undesired material from the lint in the conventional lint cleaner shown. Such additionally eliminated trash drops below the doifer and away from the flow of the lint.

The cotton lint moves from the doffer and is carried thereby through a discharge flue 23 which leads to a battery condenser (not shown) and then moves toward the baling station, at which baling sation the lint cotton is to be compressed into bale formation for further usage in its commercialization. Discharge flue 23 and lint cleaner 11 provide an enclosure or hollow structure 24 through which the cotton lint and accompanying foreign material is adapted to move in a path. Discharge flue 23 is preferably connected to a delivery port 25, such delivery port 25 extending transversely across the extent of the bank of saws 15 and of doifer means 21 from side to side of the conventional lint cleaner 11. Lint treated by lint cleaner 11 is delivered to the delivery port for further transportation to the battery condenser and baling station as heretofore mentioned.

Interposed in discharge flue 23, which is so disposed as to receive the delivery of lint from lint cleaner 11, closely adjacent delivery port 25 and mounted transversely of discharge flue 23 are sonic pulsation means 27 which are disposed to act upon the cotton lint delivered from lint cleaner 11 into discharge flue 23 and by so acting upon the lint cotton to effect pulsation thereof and to separate trash and other detritus therefrom. Preferably, the pulsation means 27 comprise electronically operated means which impart pulsations of a sonic and/or supersonic nature and frequency to the material passing through the flue and are effective to accomplish the discharge of the residue of such trash and detritus from the cotton lint that remains after the passage of same through the cotton lint cleaner 11.

In the preferred embodiment, as illustrated here somewhat schematically, means 27 comprises a series of sideby-side transducers 29 which are supported so as to depend into discharge flue 23 to overlie the pathway of the delivered cotton lint passing therethrough from lint cleaner 11; transducers 29 being connected as by suitable leads 31 to a source of electrical power, not shown, through which the transducers 29 may be energized in order to create a zone of the sonic and/or supersonic frequency pulsations to be imparted to the lint cotton passing along the flue. It will be seen that the action of the electronic means is effective not only to act upon the cotton lint and to separate therefrom the residual trash and detritus material remaining therein after discharge from lint cleaner 11, but also imparts to the cotton lint passing along flue 23 a fluifing action which tends better to condition the cotton lint for operation in the baling process toward which the cotton lint is moving as it passes through the transducer zone of the discharge flue.

Means 27 are primarily focused for operation upon the stream of cotton lint moving through the flue and have little, if any, effect upon the surrounding flue itself. The trash removed from the cotton lint as it moves through the electronic zone drops downwardly to discharge away from the flow path of the lint, as through a chute 33.

Thus, it will be seen that the lint cotton delivered from the gin is preliminarily cleaned in passing through the conventional lint cleaner, such as lint cleaner 11, and is additionally and finally efficiently cleaned in substantially complete manner by passing from lint cleaner into discharge flue 23 and thence through the zone electronically operated, preferably in the form of the transducers indicated hereon, with the result that the cotton lint emerging from discharge flue 23 toward the baling station is substantially completely clean of foreign matter, trash and detritus, which might otherwise adversely affect the color, grade or condition of the cotton lint. Hence, the device of the present invention greatly enhances the cleanliness and condition of the cotton lint which passes toward the baling station and maintains the cotton lint at an upper grade level for baling purposes.

It will be understood that the present invention relates to the imparting of pulsations or vibrations to the lint cotton as it passes through the electronically controlled zone, and preferably that these pulsations or vibrations are in the nature of sound waves which are of a sonic or supersonic freqency; that such pulsations or sound Waves act upon the mass of the cotton flowing through the zone in such a manner as to impart pulsations thereto which are substantially elfective to remove therefrom trash and detritus that has been left therein from the mechanical means employed in cleaning. It will be noted, however, that the utilization of such pulsation means and/or such means of imparting sound waves of a sonic or supersonic frequency to the flow of cotton does not impose any mechanical action upon the cotton as it moves toward the baling station, and thus damage to the cotton fiber in the lint being carried toward the baling station is avoided.

It is the intent of the present device to impose high intensity supersonic or ultrasonic sound waves to provide pulsations or vibrations upon the flow of the cotton lint after it has left the mechanical cleaning means in order to impart such pulsations to the cotton flow and to eliminate the trash therefrom. Other pulsations which have an efiect upon such cotton lint may be of benefit in connection with a device of the present character.

Referring now to the alternate embodiment of FIG. 3, there is shown therein a typical cotton lint cleaner 35, which has been modified to incorporate the teachings of the present invention in a manner that will be more clearly explained in the description to follow later in the speci fication.

The typical lint cleaner 35 includes the usual housing or hollow structure 37 that contains the usual rotatably driven corrugated rollers, 33, 41 and saw cylinder 43 having saw teeth 44. In addition, the usual grid bars 45 are mounted in housing 37 by suitable means in closely spaced adjacency to saw cylinder 43 and in spaced relationship around a portion of the circumference of saw cylinder 43, in the manner shown in FIG. 3. Housing 37 includes the usual chute 47 into which the trash T removed from the lint cotton falls. The usual operation of the above-described lint cleaner 35 is for the cotton, after being ginned, to be delivered to the lint cleaner in the form of a bat B from the usual condenser, not shown, through an opening 49 in the upper part of housing 37. The bat B is moved downwardly onto the saw cylinder 43, which is rotating in a clockwise direction \as viewed in FIG. 3, where the bat travels around the surface of the saw cylinder and between the saw cylinder and the grid bars 45, which action causes trash T to be removed from the lint cotton. Then, the cotton passes in the form of lint L from the saw cylinder 43 through the outlet 51, in the usual manner, to the baling means, not shown. This usual type of operation is not perfect for cleaning the lint cotton; as, for example, a typical cleaning machine will remove only a portion of the trash. However, with the present invention incorporated with the above lint cleaner 35, a very efiicient removal of the trash is provided in which substantially greater percentages of trash are removed from the lint cotton.

The present invention is incorporated into lint cleaner 35 in the following manner: In general, the concept illustrated in FIG. 3 is to impart supersonic or ultrasonic vibrations to the lint cotton during the process of cleaning, that is, while the bat B is traveling along saw cylinder 43. This energy in the form of supersonic or ultrasonic vibrations is preferably of high intensity and is primarily applied at one or more of the following places, either singly or in any combination thereof: l) to the grid bars 45; (2) focusing to the lint cotton itself; and/or (3) to the saw teeth 44. It will be understood that an application of the vibrations at one or more of the above places does not mean that the vibrations will be only received at those places where primarily applied but the vibrations may be received at other places as well. For example, when the grid bars are the places primarily vibrated, the cotton will be vibrated also.

The means for carrying out the application at place number (.1) above-mentioned is preferably by attaching transducers 53 rigidly to grid bars 45. Transducers 53 are of any suitable construction for changing electrical signals to sound waves so that the grid bars 45 are caused to vibrate at ultrasonic frequencies, and preferably at a frequency from kc. to 400 kc. The electrical signal is supplied to transducers 53 through suitable conductors, indicated diagrammatically as at 55, from a suitable electrical generator, such as the electronic oscillator 56, which, in turn, is supplied with electricity through the electrical leads 57 from a suitable source, not shown.

The means for imparting energy at place number (2) heretofore mentioned is preferably by means of transducers 59 which are preferably parabolic in form and made from a suitable material, such as barium titanate, to concentrate the energy at the parabolic focal point that is located in a space through which the bat B passes as it travels along saw cylinder 43. In FIG. 3, the lines 61 represent diagrammatically the sonic energy which is focused at points 63. There are preferably a plurality of transducers 59, which in FIG. 3 are represented as being three in number, and they are respectively supported by suitable support means, indicated diagrammatically as at 65, in spaced relation to saw cylinder 43 and respectively directed in the spaces between adjacent pairs of grid bars 45, so that the focal points 63 lie between adjacent pairs of the grid bars. Transducers 5-9 are also connected to a suitable source of electrical signals, such as the electronic generator '56, by suitable means as conductors 55.

The means for imparting energy at place number (3) heretofore mentioned is preferably by some of the energy being absorbed by the saw cylinder teeth 44 from the transducers 59.

By the vibration of grid bars 45, saw cylinder teeth 44, and/or the cotton lint directly from the parabolic transducers 59 at the same time when the bat B is being cleaned during the normal mechanical saw cylinder and grid bar coaction, the lint cotton will be more thoroughly and more efliciently cleaned than was heretofore possible, thereby providing higher quality cotton than was heretofore possible.

Although the invention has been described in some detail by -way of illustration and example for purposes of clarity or understanding, it is to be understood that it is not to be so limited since changes and modifications may be made therein which are within the full intended scope of this invention as hereinafter claimed.

I claim:

1. Means for cleaning ginned cotton lint before baling thereof, comprising lint cleaner means mechanically acting upon cotton lint to remove trash and detritus from said lint, means for delivering ginned cotton lint to said lint cleaner means including an intake fiue leading to said lint cleaner means, mechanical means included in said lint cleaner means acting upon the cotton lint and accompanying trash and detritus introduced with said lint to said cleaner means and accomplishing removal of a substantial portion of said trash and detritus from said introduced lint, means for delivering cotton lint so acted upon for discharge from said lint cleaner means including a discharge flue communicated with the interior of said lint cleaner means and leading therefrom, supersonic pulsation means extending into said flue into adjacency with the cotton lint discharged from said lint cleaner means for generating vibrations of supersonic frequency to effect separation of residual trash and detritus from said cotton lint.

2. Means in accordance with claim 1, in which said pulsation means are electrically powered.

3. Means in accordance with claim 2, in which said pulsation means comprise transducer means.

4. Means in accordance with claim 2, in which said pulsation means extend transversely of the discharge of cotton lint from said line cleaner means.

5. Means in accordance with claim 3, in which said transducer means comprise a plurality of transducer units arranged in a bank side-by-side, said bank extending transversely substantially completely across the flow of cotton lint discharged from said lint cleaner means.

6. In post ginning cotton processing apparatus of the type including a hollow structure through which cotton lint and accompanying foreign material moves in a path and including mechanical means in said hollow structure acting upon the cotton lint and accompanying foreign matter introduced with said lint for accomplishing removal of a substantial portion of said foreign matter from said lint, additional cleaning means in said hollow structure comprising ultrasonic means disposed adjacent the path of travel of said lint through said hollow structure for generating vibrations of supersonic frequency to effect removal of additional foreign matter from said lint.

7. In a lint cleaner including a housing having an inlet opening for receiving cotton lint from a gin and accompanying foreign matter introduced with said lint, a rotatably mounted saw cylinder including a plurality of teeth on the outer periphery thereof for engaging said lint, and a plurality of spaced grid bars mounted adjacent the periphery of said saw cylinder for acting in conjunction with said saw cylinder to remove a substantial portion of said foreign matter from said lint; the combination with said lint cleaner of additional cleaning means comprising ultrasonic means mounted on at least one of said grid bars for vibrating said one of said grid bars at ultrasonic frequencies to remove additional foreign matter from said lint.

8. The machine of claim 7 in which said additional cleaning means includes a plurality of ultrasonic means respectively mounted on a plurality of said grid bars.

9. In a lint cleaner including a housing having an inlet opening for receiving cotton lint from a gin and accompanying foreign matter introduced with said lint, a rotatably mounted saw cylinder including a plurality of teeth on the outer periphery thereof for engaging said lint, and a plurality of spaced grid bars mounted adjacent the periphery of said saw cylinder for acting in conjunction with said saw cylinder to remove a substantial portion of said foreign matter from said lint, the combination with said lint cleaner of additional cleaning means comprising ultrasonic means mounted adjacent said saw cylinder for vibrating said teeth at ultrasonic frequencies to remove additional foreign matter from said lint.

10. In a lint cleaner including a housing having an inlet opening for receiving cotton lint from a gin and accompanying foreign matter introduced with said lint, a rotatably mounted saw cylinder including a plurality of teeth on the outer periphery thereof for engaging said lint, and a plurality of spaced grid bars mounted adjacent the periphery of said saw cylinder for acting in conjunction with said saw cylinder to remove a substantial portion of said foreign matter from said lint; the combination with said lint cleaner of additional cleaning means comprising ultrasonic means mounted adjacent said saw cylinder for focusing ultrasonic vibrations on said line cotton to remove additional foreign matter from said lint.

11. The machine of claim 10 in which said ultrasonic means includes at least one transducer of parabolic form focused on said lint cotton to remove additional foreign matter from said lint.

12. The machine of claim 10 in which said ultrasonic means includes a plurality of barium titanate parabolic transducers each transducer being arranged respectively between adjacent grid bars and focused on said lint between said adjacent bars to remove additional foreign matter from said lint.

13. In lint cotton cleaning apparatus including means for arranging the lint cotton fibers in a generally long, thin bat and including means for moving the bat longitudinally along a certain path; the improvement comprising additional cotton cleaning means including electrically energized ultrasonic means for generating vibrations of ultrasonic frequency and for forming a zone of high frequency vibration energy coincident with a part of the path of the bat and through which said bat moves to effect removal of foreign matter from said bat, said ultrasonic means for generating vibrations of ultrasonic frequency includes parabolic transducer means for concentrating the vibrational energy of said zone at parabolic focal points and at points through which said bat moves.

14. In lint cotton cleaning apparatus including means for arranging the lint cotton fibers in a generally long, thin bat and including means for moving the bat longitudinally along a certain path; the improvement comprising additional cotton cleaning means including electrically energized ultrasonic means for generating vibrations of ultrasonic frequency and for forming a zone of high frequency vibration energy coincident with a part of the path of the bat and through which said bat moves to effect removal of foreign matter from said bat, said 40 lint cotton cleaning apparatus further includes a saw cylinder including a plurality of coaxial closely spaced saws, and in which said ultrasonic means includes parabolic transducer means for concentrating the vibrational energy of said zone at parabolic focal points arranged substantially coincident with the teeth of the respective saws.

15. In lint cotton cleaning apparatus including means for arranging the lint cotton fibers in a generally long, thin bat and including means for moving the bat longitudinally along a certain path; the improvement comprising additional cotton cleaning means including electrically energized ultrasonic means for generating vibrations of ultrasonic frequency and for forming a zone of high frequency vibration energy coincident with a part of the path of the bat and through which said bat moves to effect removal of foreign matter from said bat, said means for arranging the lint cotton fiber in a long thin bat and in which the means for moving said bat along a certain path includes a discharge flue of horizontally elongated cross sectional interior configuration and in which said ultrasonic means includes transducer means secured on said discharge flue superjacently of the path of said bat through said housing, and in which said zone of high frequency vibrational energy is generally horizontally elongated and is arranged transverse the path of said bat.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 in which said transducer means is of the parabolic type for concentrating the vibrational energy of said zone at parabolic focal points and at points arranged transverse the path of said bat.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,706,221 3/1929 Fanton 19-65 2,704,862 3/1955 Moss 19205 X 2,907,404 10/1959 Mare 55277 X 2,929,112 3/1960 Massey et al 19-95 X 3,076,545 2/1963 Bodine 209- 1 3,076,547 2/1963 Bodine 209-1 2,463,272. 3/1949 Hoffman 19-98 2,827,667 3/ 1958 Moss 19202 X MARVIN STEIN, Primary Examiner.

D. NEWTON, Assistant Examiner.

US. Cl. X.'R. 

1. MEANS FOR CLEANING GINNED COTTON LINT BEFORE BALING THEREOF, COMPRISING LINT CLEANER MEANS MECHANICALLY ACTING UPON COTTON LINT TO REMOVE TRASH AND DETRITUS FROM SAID LINT, MEANS FOR DELIVERING GINNED COTTON LINT TO SAID LINT CLEANER MEANS INCLUDING AN INTAKE FLUE LEADING TO SAID LINT CLEANER MEANS, MECHANICAL MEANS INCLUDED IN SAID LINT CLEANER MEANS ACTING UPON THE COTTON LINT AND ACCOMPANYING TRASH AND DETRITUS INTRODUCED WITH SAID LINT TO SAID CLEANER MEANS AND ACCOMPLISHING REMOVAL OF A SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF SAID TRASH AND DETRITUS FROM SAID INTRODUCED LINT, MEANS FOR DELIVERING COTTON LINT SO ACTED 